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EnginePart report

2016 Toyota Avalon Engine Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
17%of 23 total for the year
Median mileage
12,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the engine of the 2016 Toyota Avalon, 17% of the 23 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 12,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My wife's Avalon hesitates for 3 or 4 seconds intermittently during acceleration without warning. The yellow triangle light comes on the dash board during the hesitation. I seems to occur more often after turning left and accelerating. I am concerned about her safety when entering traffic and or crossing a road with an unexpected hesitation. Our local Toyota dealer says they are not aware of this kind of problem and are not able to diagnose it. We would like to know if this is occurring else where and what we should do about it. Please advise.”

NHTSA complaint #11090804, filed 2018-04, 20,000 miles

“Engine hesitates for a few seconds when starting from a stop or a slow speed in city traffic. The dealer said it was a computer learning process and it should go away. Problems has been around since new in 2016.”

NHTSA complaint #11276855, filed 2019-10, 4,000 miles

“Took delivery of vehicle with 3 miles on january 27, 2016. Very next day the vehicle would not start without several attempts. On january 30 the vehicle was stopped in a parking lot while on errands and would not start after attempting for 15 minutes. Dealer service department advises that there is a drain on the battery when there should not be. Vehicle has been with service technicians for the 3rd day and they have yet to identify the root cause. The vehicle has 212 miles and I am fearful that an electrical problem will cause fire and severe safety issues.”

NHTSA complaint #10823906, filed 2016-02, 110 miles

“The contact owned a 2016 Toyota Avalon. Approximately 30 minutes after parking and turning the engine off, flames were discovered coming from the front driver's side carpet. Approximately 10 minutes later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an undisclosed location and deemed destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. …”

NHTSA complaint #11097832, filed 2018-05, 22,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2022113%
2021419%
2019710%
2017643%
2016417%
201525%
201422%
201343%
201213%
201133%
201012%
200922%
200821%
2007198%
2006123%
200573%
200431%
200372%
200211%
200111%
200042%
199911%
199622%

Other parts of the 2016 Toyota Avalon

Other or unknown
5 complaints
Air bags
4 complaints
Electrical system
3 complaints
Body and structure
3 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
Brakes
2 complaints
Lane departure
2 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
2 complaints
Vehicle speed control
2 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
1 complaints
Seat belts
1 complaints
Tires
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2016 Toyota Avalon

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology